How to Use an On-Screen Keyboard on Windows PC

With each passing day technology is making our life much easier and smoother. Well, don’t get flattered by my words, take the Windows On-Screen Keyboard for example. Windows has introduced the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) to keep things user friendly, simple and minimal; there most important aspects we crave for while using an OS. Though On Screen Keyboard is lot different from the conventional external keyboards but both the keyboards offer same functionality to its users and also serve the same purpose. Windows termed the On-Screen Keyboard as an Ease of Access tool and you can select the keys using the mouse or any other pointing device. There is also an another method by which you can access the OSK ; by using a physical single key or group of keys to cycle through the keys on the screen. So friends feeling excited? Want to know the tricks of accessing the OSK? Well, in this article we will guide you about how to use an On-Screen Keyboard on Windows PC. So stick with us and read through the whole tutorial.

Before describing the steps to use an On-Screen Keyboard on Windows PC, let check out what are the advantages this latest input technology offers to its customers and why it became absolutely necessary to introduce such a unique keyboard. OSK is a virtual keyboard or you can say a software component which allows the users to enter characters without even touching the conventional hardware keyboards. OSK provides an alternative input mechanism for those users who have disabilities and cannot use a conventional physical keyboard. Also On-Screen Keyboard comes with the Text prediction feature and is available in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish; so to the bi or multi-lingual users who switch frequently between different character sets or alphabets, OSK is a life saver for them.

On-Screen Keyboard also solves the mobility issues. Suppose you use a pocket computer or a tablet computer and your job demands loads of time on the road, then OSK can come as a very handy tool for you. There is a misconception goes around the On-Screen Keyboards, that you need a touchscreen device to access OSK. But, OSK works absolutely fine with the non-touchscreen gadgets too. Another notable feature of OSK is in some cases this tool reduce the risk of keystroke logging. External keyboards are too much vulnerable for hacking; all that needs is simply to monitor the real keystrokes. But on the other hand it is more difficult for malware to monitor the display and mouse to obtain the data entered via the virtual keyboard.

So folks, you get an idea how much useful the On-Screen Keyboards are. Now let jump into the in-depth process of how to use an On-Screen Keyboard on Windows PC. Check out below:

Use an On-Screen Keyboard For Windows 7

Step 1: Go to the Start menu, then heads towards the Control Panel. Now you will find a segment called the Ease of Access. Enter into the segment and you will now notice the Ease of Access Center.

Select Start→ Control Panel→ Ease of Access→ Ease of Access Center.

As soon as the Ease of Access Center opens; Windows 7’s narrator will start explaining how to change the programs. If you don’t want to hear the narrator, deselect the Always Read This Section Aloud feature by clicking on the check-box.

Step 2: Select the “Start On-Screen Keyboard” Button

The very moment you will select the “Start On-Screen Keyboard” option a virtual On-Screen Keyboard will appear floating in the middle of your screen. If you want to adjust the size of the keys you can you can use your mouse to drag the keyboard larger or smaller to resize the keys. Don’t forget to check whether the OSK is working properly or not by writing something on Notepad or on MS-Word.

On-Screen Keyboard for Windows 10/8.1/8

Step 1: Move your Mouse to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click “Search”. If you want to use the OSK from your smartphone just swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.

Step 2: Now write On-Screen Keyboard in the search box, and when you will find the option, just tap or click on the option to launch the On-Screen Keyboard.

A keyboard will appear on the screen of your device which can be used to enter text. You can move around the OSK, change the key size and the keyboard will remain on the screen until you close it.

Alternative Method for using On Screen Keyboard for Windows

If you want to open the OSK directly from the sign-in screen, just click or tap the Ease of Access button in the lower-left corner of the sign-in screen, and then tap or click On-Screen Keyboard.

On-Screen Keyboard also gives you the freedom to customize the input method. Just open the OSK, click on the OSK Options key and you can select any of the below given options you wish to enter info through the OSK.

Use click sound: If you want to hear sound when you press a key; choose this option.

Show keys to make it easier to move around the screen: If you want the keys to light up when you type; select this feature.

Turn on numeric keypad: This option facilitates the users to expand the OSK to show a numeric keypad.

Click on keys: One can choose this mode if he/she prefers to click or tap the on-screen keys to enter text.

Hover over keys: You can select this mode if you use a mouse or joystick to point to a key. The characters you point to will be entered automatically when you point to them for a specified time.

Scan through keys: If you want the OSK to continually scan the keyboard, this mode is tailor made for you. This mode highlights the areas where you can type keyboard characters by pressing a keyboard shortcut, using a switch input device, or using a device that simulates a mouse click.

Use Text Prediction. Another great feature of the OSK is the Text prediction mode. By the virtue of the Text prediction mode the On-Screen Keyboard suggest words for you as you type so that you don’t need to type each complete word.

Some Tricks to use On–Screen Keyboard on Windows Optimally

As we have said above Text prediction is pre-installed with only 5 languages. But if you want to use one of these languages which aren’t installed, you can install the language files for that language.

Suppose you’re using either hovering mode or scanning mode and accidently minimize the OSK, you can still restore the OSK by pointing to it in the taskbar (for hovering mode) or by pressing the scan key (for scanning mode).

Always keep in mind that if you minimize the On-Screen Keyboard and switch to the Start screen or a full-screen app, you won’t be able to get to the OSK. So it is better to open the OSK first, and then go to the Start screen or app.

Wrap Up

So friends hopefully this tutorial on how to use an On-Screen Keyboard on Windows PC has helped you a lot. Remember technology is advancing day by day, so does the people of this earth. Don’t lag behind, be a tech savvy, use On-Screen Keyboard and make your life easier and comfy.

Saikat is a tech enthusiast who has just started collecting pebbles from the vast sea of technology. Apart from being a tech savvy person he loves soccer, adventure sports, photography and has a dream to travel the whole world one day.